Arriving
at the venue it looks rather quiet, doors are
open and everyone is already inside. The Skints
have sold out most dates on this tour and yet
as I walk into the academy 2 it's surprising to
see only about 50 people watching the first band.
Tyler Mae are on the stage and are doing a great
job to add some energy to this empty room. They
sound great pumping out their own brand off break
beat, rock/rap with some samples and thrashing
guitar thrown in for good measure. This 5 piece
from the West Midlands are going crazy moshing
about the stage and hitting the drums with plenty
of force, it's a surprise they don't break, at
one point two of them drum on separate kits which
just adds to the power off their sound. It's a
shame there vocals can't be heard too clearly
over everything else but despite that they still
put on a good show and have the stage ready and
warmed up for the next band.
The
Drop arrive on stage to a warm welcome as the
room has filled up significantly now and the Friday
night crowd are ready for some reggae rhythms
that The Drop are happy to supply. This 8 piece
from London can barely fit on the stage but this
doesn't stop them from putting out their summer
rhythms, with great sounding keys, bongos, sax,
trumpet, guitar, drums and vocals it’s amazing
the academy 2 sound levels have worked as well
as it has, as it sounds sweet and fresh. The crowd
love it and are dancing and swaying all the way
through there quiet lengthy set. This is the first
time they've played Birmingham and I hope it won't
be their last as they sound really great. 4/5
The
Skints have a tough act to follow but they bring
the cards to the table and smash The Drop out
of the ball park, with their sweet sounding harmonies
and dub/ reggae sound that people can't help but
love. The audience goes crazy and no-one stands
still, this great brand off British Reggae has
been missing from the mainstream for a number
of years and The Skints are bringing it back with
a bang.
In case you didn’t know they are a 4 piece
from London town, and they have been around for
a number of years now and have slowly built up
a following, so much so that they’ve supported
massive bands such as You Me At Six, and are now
selling out big venues off their own. Tonight
the venue was mainly empty but The Skints have
filled the room by the time their set started.
They
play a great set, with songs of both albums such
as Mindless, Lay You Down and Ratatat, that sound
immense and just as good as they do recorded.
They interact with the crowd well and tell them
how they love the support they have in Birmingham,
and how it’s the best smelling gig on the
tour, as a smoke cloud comes across the crowd
to the front of the room.
They play their Katy B cover On A Mission, which
goes down a storm, and also get a guest on stage
to help them sing Rise Up, the recording artist
Parly B. They close their big set with Rock It
Tonight, and then come back for an encore of Soul
For Sale, Bright Girl and finally Culture Vulture
which ends the night in style.
The Skints have put on a great show tonight and
I hope they’ll stick around and only get
bigger as they’re doing something different
that deserves more mainstream popularity.
Tyler Mae 3/5
The Drop 4/5
The Skints 4.5/5
Review By James Daly
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